individual case study- kidulthood

Kidulthood is a 2006 British based drama film. It tells the story of the troubles faced by a bunch of 15 year olds in west London, and how they cope with their day to day struggles when faced with bullying,violence, racism, under age sex, drugs and the power to gain respect on the streets. The audience which the film is intended for are people aged between 15-24, known as the urban youth market.The film itself tries to represent a serious issue to society and reflect how hard it can be to grow up in todays society.

language- due to the fact that this film is about the youth culture in west London there is a real sense of ghetto slang which is the language which youths use in todays society.
sound- the soundtrack played in the trailer is a grime soundtrack which has a fast beat and fast lyrics. This keeps the viewer engaged in the trailer and makes them feel excited, making them want to watch it to the end. Also the trailer focuses on special sound effects, which add to the dramatic effect to the trailer, and reflects the level of violence in west London. Things like punches and important quotes from the actors excites the viewer making them want to watch the trailer until the end.
camera shots- there is a range of camera shots used in the trailer. Close up shots are used to show the actors expressions to show the viewer what they are feeling, giving a sense of how this will lead on to their actions later on in the movie.Long range shots are used to show how the characters in the trailer differ from their surroundings and the rest of the world.It also presents the way they look compared to other people, making the viewers judge them before they get to know them.For example if a character in the trailer is shown from a long distance with a hood on and a baseball bat, then the viewer gets the impression he is a troublemaker and is about to do something bad.
Lighting-the lighting in the trailer changes from time to time depending on the surrounding of the characters and where they are. For example if they are outside in the city then the lighting is very dim, reflecting the dullness of growing up in west London, whereas if they are in a club at night, then there is alot of extra lightning showing the excitement of being in a club. When violence is shown the lighting becomes dim showing the brutal feeling of being attacked, compared to when drugs and alcohol are shown as the lighting becomes stronger, reflecting the sense of feeling you get from the use of these things.
Length of trailer- the length of the trailer is quite short as its only 2:05 minutes.This shows how quick the fast paced action is which includes crime, violence, sex and the use of drugs and alcohol.The trailer of Kidulthood is Linear Medley as each clip of the trailer is placed one after the other to unfold the story.
institutional values- the story of Kidulthood shows us how youths living in a certain area are influenced by others lifestyles which makes them take the same path and experience the consequences of choosing to live such a lifestyle; full of violence, sex, the need for money and power, drugs and crime.Kidulthood shows how young youths follow the footsteps of corrupted criminals which then lead to them having corrupted lives.This gives out an overall message to the audience watching the film, which is not to follow the footsteps of others who are corrupted as you will be paying the price, not them.